BIG LAKE -- If you like your craft beer we've got another round of great news for you, Lupulin Brewing in Big Lake is set to undergo a major expansion.

The three-year-old craft brewery bought 22,500 square feet of space back in October of 2017. Last month, they got approval from the Big Lake City Council to start the expansion in earnest.

Co-founder Jeff Zierdt says with this expansion they'll not only be able to produce more but also expand their beer offerings.

"There's a whole variety of non-IPA style beers that we really haven't had the chance to get out into the marketplace -- except for those who come and try them in our taproom -- so it's really about expanding our overall market."

Zierdt says it had previously been tough just to keep up with the "thirst for Hooey and Blissful Ignorance." He says this expansion triples their capacity at the least. Zierdt says at least for a while they should have no issue meeting demands.

"Last year, we finished at 1,606 barrels, which doesn't seem like a lot. The capacity of this new expansion will allow us to brew up to around 25,000 - 30,000 barrels on an annual basis in the future."

He says they are contemplating a few different ideas to expand/renovate part of their taproom. Saying they've got about 3,500 square feet they'd like to see as either overflow or retail space.

With this expansion, Lupulin will be on a mini-hiring spree over the next few years. Right now, they employ 14 full-time and 34 part-time employees. Zierdt says they'll be expanding to 30 full-time staff and 50 part-timers by January 2021.

Boser Construction will be the contractor for the new expansion.

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